ROLLED OVER BY THE TRACTOR BOYS

IPSWICH TOWN 1 CARDIFF CITY 0

Cardiff City lost their opening league fixture for the first time in 12 seasons, falling 1-0 to Ipswich Town at Portman Road, the teams separated by Nicky Forster's 62nd minute header.
The game was unremarkable. It won't stay in the memory for much longer than the game lasted but, until a late Ipswich assault, The Bluebirds played well against a side who are sure to feature in the Premiership promotion/play off frame and arguably, were deserving of a draw.

A rather dull game but, for Cardiff, encouraging overall. City looked solid and uncompromising with the new faces appear to be gelling quickly. In many ways, they were unlucky to go down but advance fears of a lack of creativity and a cutting edge were sadly proven. Ipswich had few chances but the ultimately made enough to score and win, City were ineffective in that area but there wasn't much between the teams otherwise but the goal which decided to game as another soft set piece give-away by City, carrying on a pre-season theme..

The football season was back and, for Cardiff, it was a rude awakening. The round trip was almost 500 miles and 1,400 travelling fans were up as early 5:30am. Our coach left the Lansdowne at 7:30am, picked up the boys from the Duke of Clarence and we were soon into old habits having a laugh and singing our way along the M4 and M25 with an appalling karaoke video.

Our coach had a single driver who made good time had his tachograph expiring shortly after 11am so he drove to services. Quick negotiations and we assured him that there was a pub up the road - a gamble as we didn't have a clue and he had 5 minutes driving time - but, hallejuah, one minute away there was a Wacky Warehouse. Never have 25 grown men been so happy to see one! Somehow I won at pool again so I'm already unbeaten for the season.

Back on board, refreshed and now really giving the karaoke some welly, we hit Ipswich half hour later, were escorted to within 250 yards of the ground and allowed to roam to one of our tow designated pubs. We went for The Station - it was opposite the, ahem, station but a big pub with a big beer garden too. Although a Cardiff pub for the day, there was a good sprinkling of home fans too and some good banter and chat.

Also a jukebox which, connected to the internet, had 2 million songs. As the ales flowed, I last remember Ray Lewis and myself trying to impress the pub with our favourite obscure punk songs but being the only ones singing them ... appropriate really as Ray was well into The Only Ones' Another Girl, Another Planet.

Anyway, time flew by ... and so did the ales so it was off to Portman Road and my first ever visit to a ground I somehow missed these past two Championship seasons. It was functional and decent. A traditional rectangular shaped ground with stands behind each goal and along each side, some double-decker style. City's 1,500 fans were housed on one side of the pitch facing across the goal that Neil Alexander defended first half and were making an excellent racket - I think the punk anthems inspired them! For most of the game, even after we trailed, Portman Road's atmosphere came almost entirely from the City section.

It was a balmy but not overly hot afternoon - nothing like the 100 degrees temperatures that greeted City's Championship arrival at Costa Del Rotherham two years ago. The home support gave up their usual pursuits - farming, fishing, kissing their cousins, chewing on straw - to provide an excellent 24,292 crowd which was 3,000 more than watched the fixture last term.
Team news and with summer car boot sale of players and then rebuild, City had 5 debutants and, incredibly not a single player from the starting 11 who turned out at Crewe this time last season. The side (playing 4-4-1-1) were Alexander, Darlington-Cox-Purse (Captain)-Barker, Ardley-Boland-Whitley-Cooper and Parry playing behind Jerome as a lone striker. The bench were Warner-Lee-Loovens-Mulryne-Weston. Jason Koumas was surprisingly missing, a late withdrawal with injury but it still meant almost half the 16 squad had only been with the club for 3 weeks and Kevin Cooper was thrown straight in without having even had pre-season with City.

Ipswich were also going through huge changes. Play-off failure for the second successive season costs in many ways. The club may have missed the Premiership but half their players didn't as Bent, Kuqi, keeper Kelvin Davis and Tommy Miller joined Kav, Ginge, Gabbs and Earnie have a footballing life at the top tier. New signings have not been extensive. Their replacements for Bent and Kuqi were Nicky Forster on a free and one-time Lennie target Sam Parkin for around £250k so cash was not splashed but with the club winning the F.A. Youth Cup, a couple of players were also making a step up.

They started with Welsh Under 21 keeper Lewis Price in goals, a defence of Wilnis-DeVos-Naylor-Richards, midfiueld were still strong with Darren Currie-Jim Magilton-youngster Gravan debuting and Ian Westlake and Forster-Parkin in attack. Best known of the subs was Kevin Horlock.

City played in their away colours and must have had the first shot of the season which could have been the first goal too as Paul Parry got clear on an angle from kick-off but fired tamely across goal. Ipswich's first chance came on 5 minutes as Magilton went narrowly wide with a free-kick that Purse conceded just outside the area.

Chances were at a premium in a tight game which I thought City narrowly shaded in the opening 45 with Darlington, the centre halves, Cooper and, particularly, Whitley and Jerome showing well. Problem was, City were struggling to create.

Paul Parry carried on his pre-season form at Ninian in my view. He looked ineffective and anonymous in his natural role but playing in the hole today, he was simply lightweight and anonymous. It meant an already isolated Cameron Jerome was left truly stranded but he worked, harried and worried a good home defence expertly marshalled by another one-time target in Jason DeVos.

Cameron showed inexperience by running with the ball on occasions when a better option was to hold play and wait for others and often tended to take a couple of touches too many but his commitment was excellent. He just needs help and I suspect that, along with more defensive work, are Dave Jones' current priorities for his side. Jerome came close with two headers, one which was narrowly wide early on and another which landed on the roof of the net before the interval but whilst they closed and won ball often winning applause and doing enough to just shade the half, we never got any closer to goal.

Ipswich meanwhile had the games best chance just before half-time. After being subdued by the efforts of Purse and co, a low ball wasn't controlled by the skipper and fell straight into the path of Parkin. The new signing, who failed to score in any of Town's seven pre-season games showed he's lacking confidence in front of goal as he scuffed his effort straight at a relieved Alexander, he should have finished it.

Half-time: TRACTOR BOYS 0 SHEEP MEN 0

Now attacking towards us, City seemed inspired, took a little more control and were taking a grip on the game which raised the raucous noise already coming from us to greater levels.
After three years of hardly anyone ever singing Lennie Lawrence's Barmy Army, no matter how we were doing, it took just 45 minutes of competitive action to get the Davey Jones Barmy Army routine going. Perhaps the lowered expectations and owners calming down their over-hype help after a summer in which realism finally came out and hard lessons were learned.

Maybe it inspired the lads as, yet again, we had an opportunity literally seconds into the restart. This time it was Jerome but he failed to get a shot away. Set pieces are maybe a problem at both ends as a couple of City corners and free-kicks came to nought although Cooper's 25 yard drive produced some excitement as with deflection en route, it fizzled and looped narrowly over the bar. Overall, it was still hard going for City to produce anything in that final third.

It was a game though which had 0-0 written all over it or a single goal victory if either side could get their attacking acts together. Typical that just as we were starting to get confidence that City could perhaps do it, it was Ipswich who went ahead with another soft set piece, something that happened a lot too often pre-season.

The goal came when Cooper conceded a needless free-kick out wide and level with the edge of the area against an Ipswich player going nowhere. The ball in was admittedly excellent, a whipped ball towards the far post but where were we and why were we motionless? NICKY FORSTER probably couldn't believe his luck as he was allowed unchallenged to turn the ball home from 6 yards. Some will question why Alexander didn't leave his line but surely it was also upto Cox or Purse to have shadowed Forster? Where was the communication between any of them?

Having struggled to make the game happen at 0-0, City were now finding it near impossible to chase it from behind. Meantime, as play became a little more stretched and The Horses gained confidence that leads can supply, they had but missed good opportunities for a second killer goal. The best/worst miss was Parkin whose diving header clipped the outside of the woodwork but it should have been inside. Other chances flew high or wide as City appeared to get a little ragged at the back and were suddenly being beaten in the air after having no trouble at all for an hour. Alexander produced one good stop.

With time ticking away, DJ made changes as Lee replaced Parry and Mulryne replaced Boland. The ex-Norwich player got the sort of response from Ipswich fans that an ex-Swansea player would get at Ninian Park but with boos instead of a venomous chant. They're awfully nice.
Lee so nearly made a name for himself as he brought down an Ardley free-kick in the box, turned an Ipswich player on the outside and looked certain to score with a free shot at goal from 6 yards but was denied by Lewis' fantastic reflex parry.

It was one of those shots that was hit too well and probably at the right height for the keeper. Had it been scuffed or hit low, City would have a point on the board. Instead, they turned out to be one of only 6 losers of the Championship's weekend, five going down by the single goal and half the sides sharing honours.

Ipswich fans were happy. Their side had to dog out that win and didn't show much style but a win's a win and winning those sort of games is a good sign. Cardiff fans were naturally disappointed but certainly not disheartened. City had battled hard and on another day would have got a result. To run play-off chasers close at their home ground cannot be bad especially when we know Koumas will give us flare and creativity if he performs while the club will surely triple their efforts for a striker.

The players were therefore warmly applauded and cheered off. Neil Ardley led the way and brought a few over to us, one of these things so simple to do but so often forgotten but always appreciated.

A big week coming up with Leeds and Watford at home this Tuesday and Friday and every bit as much interest in hoping DJ can weave his magic to find us a striker from somewhere and quickly too.

As for the journey home, zzzzzzzz. We made it quick time but the first trip for 3 months and a 500 mile journey at that made it sleepy and quiet rather than wild and raucous. Like the team, we need a little time to get things going too!


The Cost of Being A City Fan

Mattch Ticket: £25
Travel to/from home and coach pick up: £3
Canton (Lansdowne and Duke of Clarence coach): £20
Coach Scratchcard: £2
The "play whatever you like" jukebox: £4
Programme: £3
Food and Drink: £25

Total cost today: £82

Cost for season to date: £180.